


adrift

by boudour



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers 4 trailer spoilers, Avengers: Endgame, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonnies Made Me Do It, POV Natasha Romanov, POV Outsider, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 15:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16936020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boudour/pseuds/boudour
Summary: It's not an old message—and it's from Tony.





	adrift

"He was right."

Natasha doesn't have to ask whom he's talking about.

They've put out what fires they could, and now that the world has recovered from the shock, they more often than not find themselves rattling around in the compound.

"He would have loved hearing you say that," she says smoothly, and pretends she doesn't feel the burn of the past tense. Steve's lips quirk in the ghost of a smile but he's still staring off in the distance.

"I—"

The alarm announcing an emergency message interrupts him. 

_If you find this recording, don't feel bad about this…_

 

\----------------------

 

Bruce checks the tracker one last time, he'll have to continually adjust the algorithm from the Wakandan labs for them to have any hope of finding Tony. The Quinjet wasn't designed for space travel but Rocket says his modifications to the engines should see them within reach of the signal, "if their piece of shit ship doesn't implode first".

It's good enough for her, certainly good enough for Steve.

"You're within a ten miles radius of the signal," crackles Bruce's voice out of the comms, "turn on the tracker." Natasha can hear the agitation in Bruce's voice and powers the Wakandan tech with trembling fingers. This is it. Steve is standing by her side, a quiet, desperate intensity radiating off him.

 

\----------------------

 

"Quick, this way," says the blue woman, and they don't stop to ask questions. They follow her along to find Tony, lying prone on the seat, unmoving, "He's barely breathing."

Steve takes a deep breath then takes off his own oxygen mask and presses it to Tony's face.

"His heart's still beating," Natasha says, and feels her own heart give a lurch in reply. Steve's already moving, hooking Tony's arm around his shoulders, putting an arm beneath his knees and lifting him up with a gentleness that breaks Natasha's heart.

 

\---------------------

 

Steve is standing as far away from Tony as the Quinjet will allow, gaze fixed on him. She feels him tense up a split second before Tony groans, and wakes up.

"So you did hear me scream," he says, and she clutches his hand, breathes in relief as he grips hers back just as hard.

"You're more resilient than you look," Nebula says in a familiar tone, voice forcibly stripped of emotion.

Natasha doubts Tony even heard her, his gaze having unerringly found Steve's. Their eyes have locked with the kind of intensity that makes Natasha want to both look away and stare in fascination. 

"Please tell me nobody kissed me," Tony says.

Steve takes a breath. "Didn't bring any shawarma," he says, voice rough.

"Ah, but you brought the oxygen," Tony says, and it's like the strings that were holding Steve in suspension get abruptly cut. He staggers closer, goes to his knees next to the cot, as close as he can get to Tony without actually touching him, and brings a hand to the pillow where Tony's head is resting like he's unable to help himself, fingers just grazing his hair.

Tony's head jerks, like a reflex, pushing itself into Steve's touch, and Steve's fingers immediately find the curve of his jaw and rest on his pulse point, like protection. Tony's eyes widen for a moment and then with a long breath, all the tension bleeds out of him as he settles his face into Steve's hand.

"You people are weird," Nebula says.

**Author's Note:**

> I embrace the upcoming angst most readily :D: but the idea of Steve (and Natasha) rescuing Tony was too good to pass up *____*


End file.
